Sachin, Dhoni will fly Sukhois

Long awaited dream of Indian ace cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni of flying a Sukhoi will come true in October. The officials in the Air Force told TSI that "MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar will be going Pune to fly in Sukhoi, the most modern fighter of the Indian Air-force."

It was announced by the then Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal PV Naik in April 2011 that as per the availability of time both will be given an opportunity to fly in Sukhois.

The Indian Air Force has its Air Base in Lohegaon in Pune which already has the distinction of flying the two presidents. President Abul Kalam had taken the sortie in June 2006. The sortie of the present President, Pratibha Patil was a world record when she had flown a Sukhoi 30 MKI in November 2009 as she became the oldest women ever, at the age of 74, to have got airborne in a fighter aircraft.

The Sukhois are two seater aircrafts with a maximum speed of 2 Mach or twice the speed of sound. The dignitaries get the opportunity to fly as a co-pilot in the rear cockpit.